Obasogie and Shah on stem cells and the Dems
Posted by Marcy Darnovsky January 19, 2007
Biopolitical Times
Writing as guest columnists in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Osagie Obasogie and Parita Shah hope for a new chapter in the stem cell saga:
Partisan politics has led traditional Democratic champions of government oversight for the common good to forget that Big Biotech -- not unlike its older siblings Big Pharma and Big Oil -- is an emerging multibillion-dollar industry that needs regulation to prevent abuses and promote the public interest. Otherwise, in 25 years or so, today's shocking $3-a-gallon gas may be a distant footnote to what your doctor's bill might look like.
As we look to the new Congress and the 2008 elections, let's hope the stem cell debate can be conducted more thoughtfully. If federal funding is expanded, a real debate can commence -- not on whether embryonic stem cell research should take place but on how and what kind. And, with federal funding in place, policymakers, scientists and voters alike will be in a position to talk about the kind of oversight needed to ensure that this research moves forward with common sense and common decency.